More Than 200 March for Lesbian and Gay Pride in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN (EGCM) Spurred by an American Civil Liberties Union
lawsuit, the Chattanooga Police Department has issued a hotly contested
parade permit for the Chattanooga Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee,
allowing more than 200 people to march in a celebration of gay
visibility and a call for gay and lesbian rights.
"This year's parade DD which was twice the size of last year's DD
celebrated not only gay pride, but also our protection under the First
Amendment," said Marvin Parker, one of the parade organizer. "Because
we were able to march down the route we had selected DD rather than the
deserted warehouse district the City Council picked for us DD we
achieved recognition in Chattanooga and opened up a dialogue about gay
rights here."
The ACLU's national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project and the ACLU of
Tennessee had filed suit on behalf of the Pride Committee, after the
committee itself had sought the parade permit for three months. Despite
the Committee's repeated efforts, the Chattanooga City Council refused
to grant the group a permit for its desired march route through a
residential district. Instead, because of opposition within that
district, the City Council on its own initiative issued a permit for a
parade through an industrial zone.
"The City Council's decision to shunt this parade aside because of its
controversial message blatantly violated the right to free expression
guaranteed to all Americans," said Marc E. Elovitz, Staff Counsel to
the ACLU national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project and lead attorney on
the case.
"City streets must be made available for parades and marches on a
content-neutral basis," Elovitz said. "A city council or any other city
official cannot sit in judgment of the viewpoints of city residents."
Two days after the ACLU lawsuit was filed, Chattanooga Police Chief
Ralph Cothran exercised his authority to grant a permit for the
residential route. Although his decision allowed the 1993 pride parade
to go forward as scheduled, it did not solve the underlying problem of
Chattanooga's impermissible system for considering and granting such
permits. The ACLU challenge will continue until Chattanooga adopts a
constitutional system, one that carefully limits the discretion of city
officials and prohibits decisions based upon the message of any march.
"The Police Chiefs coming to his senses saved the City from having to
defend itself in an emergency hearing," said Ruth E. Harlow, another
ACLU attorney working on the litigation. "But Chattanooga must still
reform its permit-granting scheme so others are not silenced or
hampered," she added. "Lesbians and gay men have advanced civil
liberties for all Chattanoogans by fighting this unconstitutional
situation."
The case is pending before United States District Judge R. Allan Edgar
in Chattanooga. Judge Edgar has scheduled a case conference. In
addition to Elovitz and Harlow, the plaintiffs are represented by Jay Ku
of Chattanooga.
For more information contact: Hedy Weinberg, Tennessee ACLU;
615-320-7143. Phil Guits; Media Relations Office; American Civil
Liberties Union; 132 West 43rd Street; New York, NY 10036; Voice
212-944-9800-623; Fax 212-869-9065. Be sure to mention in your
correspondence that you heard of this through The Electronic Gay
Community Magazine.
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